Highlife artists and groups

[Leadership]Isaiah Kehinde Dairo is the son of I K Dairo Paul notable Nigerian juju musician has carved a niche for himself in the Nigerian music industry. His cocktail of genres from western world R'n'B and Rap to traditional Highlife and Juju music is responsible for his unmatchable uniqueness. ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM explores his reasons for being out of the social scene for a while now among other issues.

[This Day]Chris Ajilo, a giant among the dwindling number of Nigerian highlife musicians, was honoured in a rare show that attracted his kindred souls. Vanessa Obioha was there.

[Vanguard]Dede Mabiaku is a versatile musician, who has come a long way in the Afrobeat, Highlife and Jazz music genres. He has over the years proven himself a force to reckon with in the Nigerian music scene, within and outside the shores of the country. His display of stagecraft, showmanship and knack for audience participation are in present day Nigeria, unequalled. A protégé of the Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Dede indeed learnt at the feet of the master himself. For m

[This Day]A fresh graduate of the Tai Solarin University of Education, (TASUED) Wole Fagbenro became a proud owner of a brand new I-Phone 5, courtesy of the highlife exponent, Sunny Neji, for composing a poem on him on his birthday.

[This Day]Punch lines, rhyming skills and poetic flows contribute greatly to what some would consider tobe great lyrics. For die-hard hard core rap enthusiasts, rap is not just made up of neat end rhymes, catchy hook or danceable beat. In fact, most core rap songs do not have any of the aforementioned music spices. It is not surprising then to find that hard core rap is not popular in Nigeria where the funk rap is still finding its feet with the help of other genres of music like fuji, hip hop, highlife, techno and

Ghana-based Benjamin Lebrave speaks fluent French and English, and can schmooze in Spanish and Portuguese. He’ll report on new African music every other week. This week, it’s Dampoo and his highlife. The holiday season in … read more »

Music fans in Bangalore were treated to a unique mix of ‘world jazz,’ with a blend of modern jazz, African highlife, and Indian Carnatic classical music. The performance of the...

The poll, which was run by British Airways Highlife Magazine, revealed that seven in 10 travellers choose destinations in which they can explore and experience a new culture.

[Leadership]Nigeria"s iconic musician and guitarist whose lovable songs are ever green with his hand on the strings that makes a special sound making you shiver with enthusiasm and wanting to listen more to the song, late Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe born March, 1936 but frequently referred to as just Osadebe, was an Igbo Nigerian Highlife musician from Atani.

Gang Gang Dance & White Magic member Doug Shaw makes reverb-heavy, style-sampling rock under the name Highlife. Recently, he recorded a live set he did in Copenhagen, a performance that includes nine completely new songs from the project. You can stream the tape below. It’s out now on Escho. You can order it here.

Amakye Dede in a pose with Mrs Beatrice Adom after the presentation Evergreen highlife musician Abrantie Amakye Dede, who was recently honoured for his immense contribution to the Ghana music ...

[Vanguard]One of the surviving Highlife Music legends from the South-east, Alexander Mella a.k.a Lexy Mella who was known for his infusion of 'western style into bongo music' in the 80s, has revealed plans to make a comeback into the nation's music scene after more than two decades of disappearing from the scene.

[Vanguard]Popular songwriter and highlife musician, Justice Martins, who is well known as J-Martins will definitely be the toast of many Nigerians today as he unveils his new single,"Kpomo"on a day he is also marking his birthday anniversary.

Koo Nimo Highlife Roots Revival (Riverboat Records/World Music Network, 2012) Koo Nimo (born Daniel Amponsah in the Ashanti region of Ghana in 1934) could have made a name for himself...

[Leadership]Styleh, aka 'for the ladies' has released once again another collaboration titled 'Iwo Ni'(You); this time with highlife maestro, Pa Fatai Rolling Dollar.

[Ghanaian Chronicle]All is set for the second edition of Legend and Legacy Ball (LAL) which will come on Saturday September 15 at the Accra International Conference Centre to celebrate the life of legendary Highlife musician, Daniel Amakye Dede.

[Leadership]Popular Nigerian highlife musician, Flavour Nabania is currently involved in a legal battle with Ghanaian singing duo, Wutah, over the alleged theft of their intellectual property.

[Vanguard]At 83, Chris Ajilo is one of the oldest surviving legends of highlife music in Africa. But this is not the news. The story is that 50 years after he released his first album, the Ijebu-Ijesha, Osun State born famous producer is perhaps set to break into the Guinness book of world records by dropping a new album.

Highlife living legend Abrantie Amakye Dede is wondering why there are speculations in the media about how much he charges per performance and who is fuelling the false information.

Here's the new video for King Tuff's "Alone & Stoned" a cut from this year's solid self-titled full-length. It's a (very slightly NSFW) montage of home video-style footage you might expect to go along with lyrics like, "Stare at the shit in your bedroom/ Take a walk on the moon/ No one can see you when you alone, alone." It features appearances from members of Hunx and His Punx, Shannon and the Clams, and others.

King Tuff also has a U.S. and European tour lined up-- dates below, after the video.

King Tuff:

08-18 San Diego, CA - Ken Club
08-19 Tempe, AZ - Meat Market
08-20 Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad
08-21 Lubbock, TX - Depot O-Bar
08-22 Norman, OK - Opolis
08-23 Fayetteville, AR - J.R.'s Lightbulb Co.
08-24 Springfield, MO - Highlife Martini Lounge
08-25 St. Louis, MO - LouFest
08-26 Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge
08-28 Denver, CO - Moe's
08-29 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
08-30 Las Vegas, NV - Beauty Bar
09-02 Los Angeles, CA- FYF Fest
09-11 London, England - Shacklewell Arms
09-12 Eindhoven Netherlands - Effenaar
09-13 Groningen, Netherlands - Vera
09-14 Amsterdam, Netherlands - De Nieuwe Anita
09-15 Leffinge, Belgium - Leffingeleuren Festival
09-17 Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
09-18 Paris, France - Point Ephemere
09-20 Basel, Switzerland - Stock Club
09-21 Freiburg, Germany - Swamp Club
09-22 Hamburg, Germany - Reeperbahn Festival
09-23 Berlin, Germany - Monarch
09-24 Cologne, Germany - Tsunami
09-26 London, Enalgnd - Lexington
10-11 Detroit, MI- The Larger House %
10-12 Toronto, Ontario – The Garrison %
10-13 Montreal Quebec- II Motore %
10-14 Quebec City, Quebec – Le Cercle %
10-16 Halifax, NS – Reflection Cabaret
10-18 New York, NY - CMJ
10-19 New York, NY – CMJ
10-20 Providence, RI – AS220 %
10-22 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s % $
10-23 Washington, DC – Black Cat % $
10-24 Durham, NC – Duke Coffeehouse %
10-25 Atlanta, GA – The Earl % #
10-26 St. Augustine, FL – Nobby’s %
10-28 Orlando, FL – Will's Pub %
10-30 Tallahassee, FL – Retrofit Records %
10-31 Birmingham, AL – Bottle Tree % !
11-01 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks %
11-02 Beaumont, TX – Victoria House %
11-04 Dallas, TX – Club Dada *
11-07 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub ^
11-08 Chicago, IL – Subterranean ^
11-09 Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club ^
11-10 Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme ^
 
% with The Intelligence
$ with Poor Moon
# with Mike Watt + the Missingmen
! with Man or Astro-man?
* with Natural Child
^ with Gap Dream

[This Day]In the last two years, Nigeria's most consistent highlife musician, Dr. Victor Olaiya has been celebrated in grandiose fashions. Evergreen Musical Company Limited rolls out the drums again in his honour in yet another landmark show tagged, 'Celebrating a Victor and His Trumpet-60 Years After'.  reports

It?s Saturday night and a small group of hiphop fans sip Miller Highlife in the dark corners of the Firebird in St.

[Ghanaian Chronicle]The excitement was out of this world. When re-diffusion boxes began airing lyrics composed by Kwaw Mensah, Kakaiku and other pioneers of the rich authentic highlife music with its palm wine version, life in the then Gold Coast took on a refreshing innovation from the moonlight games of "Kweekwei Yenkor Yo,' Anhwe Wo Egyir E' and other evening plays, with the lead singer in the Bosoe group getting everybody worked out with her unique voice rendering the 'Whe Mu Beyi Wo Mpona' lyrics.'

Ebo Taylor Appia Kwa Bridge (Strut O89CD, 2012) Ghanaian highlife veteran Ebo Taylor has had a long career and this very satisfying new release shows he’s still got a lot...

Over the weekend, Ariel Pink posted the following message to his Facebook page: "BROKE UP THE BAND TODAY HAUNTED GRAFFITI R.I.P."

Since then, lo-fi addicts and thrift-store-glam fashionistas have surely been sobbing over their vinyl copies of House Arrest. Pink's publicist, however, tells us that there's "no truth" to the Facebook post, and that the band's previously announced tour remains on schedule. The most recent incarnation of Haunted Graffiti includes Tim Koh (who's also worked with White Magic and Highlife, and contributed bass to parts of Gang Gang Dance's Eye Contact), Kenneth Gilmore, and Joe Kennedy.

The new album from Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Mature Themes, is out August 21 in the U.S., and August 20 in the UK via 4AD. Former Haunted Graffiti member Cole M.G.N. (the Samps) assisted in recording the album. (He also worked with Julia Holter on her latest album, Ekstasis.) Ariel recently told Spin that Mature Themes is the record he "wanted to make back when I made Before Today, but couldn't due to pressures and different factors." Hear the album's first single, a cover of Donnie and Joe Emerson's "Baby", above.

[Vanguard] Highlife, Makossa and Soukous Exponent of the late 80s and 90s, Innocent Chuks Onyekwere Ochonma is set for a full comeback to the Music Scene following a long period of absence from the industry.

[Accra Mail] Today, Thursday May 17, the Goethe Institut in Accra will screen "Your Unknown Brother" (Dein unbekannter Bruder) by Ulrich Weiss, 103 Min., 1981.